Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max / Samsung Galaxy S23

Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max: A3256 / A3257 · 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB; Silver, Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue; dual eSIM only

Samsung Galaxy S23: Galaxy S23 (2023); 8 GB RAM, 128 or 256 GB (options vary by market). The Galaxy S23+, S23 Ultra and S23 FE are separate models.

SpecificationApple iPhone 17 Pro MaxSamsung Galaxy S23
Release year20252023
Display6.9-inch Super Retina XDR OLED; 2868 × 1320, 460 ppi; ProMotion up to 120 Hz; Always-On

ProMotion adjusts the refresh rate to the content, giving 120 Hz smoothness when scrolling and lowering it on still images to save battery. The Always-On display shows the time and notifications dimmed while locked.

Apple		6.1-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X; 48–120 Hz Super Smooth refresh; 1750 nits; 240 Hz touch sampling in Game Mode

The refresh rate varies between 48 and 120 Hz depending on content. Vision Booster adjusts the picture to stay readable in bright light. The size is measured as a full rectangle; the visible area is smaller.

Samsung
Brightness1,000 nits typical, 1,600 nits HDR, 3,000 nits outdoor peak; 1 nit minimum

The 3,000-nit outdoor figure is a short peak in strong sunlight, not sustained full-screen white. The screen has an anti-reflective coating.

Apple		—
Build and glassAluminium unibody; Ceramic Shield 2 front, Ceramic Shield back Apple—
Water resistanceIP68 (up to 6 m for 30 minutes)

Apple notes that this resistance is not permanent and can decrease with normal wear.

Apple		IP68 (up to 1.5 m of fresh water for up to 30 minutes)

Samsung does not advise beach or pool use.

Samsung
ChipA19 Pro; 6-core CPU (2 performance, 4 efficiency), 6-core GPU with Neural Accelerators, 16-core Neural Engine

The GPU supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing.

Apple		—
Storage256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB Apple—
Main camera48 MP Fusion Main, 24 mm, ƒ/1.78, second-generation sensor-shift stabilisation

It also gives a 12 MP 2× (48 mm) image by using the centre of the sensor.

Apple		—
Ultra wide camera48 MP Fusion Ultra Wide, 13 mm, ƒ/2.2, 120° field of view

This camera is also used for 48 MP macro shots.

Apple		—
Telephoto camera48 MP Fusion Telephoto, 100 mm (4×), ƒ/2.8, tetraprism, 3D sensor-shift stabilisation

Using the centre of the sensor gives a 12 MP 8× (200 mm) image; Apple quotes a 16× optical-quality range and up to 40× digital zoom.

Apple		—
Video4K Dolby Vision up to 120 fps; ProRes RAW, Apple Log 2, Genlock

4K 100/120 fps is limited to the main camera. ProRes 4K 120 fps requires recording to external storage. Genlock syncs several cameras to the same timing with compatible hardware.

Apple		—
Front camera18 MP Center Stage, ƒ/1.9; 4K Dolby Vision up to 60 fps

The Center Stage camera’s square sensor allows landscape or portrait selfies without rotating the phone.

Apple		12 MP (F2.2, 80°) Samsung
BatteryUp to 39 hours of video playback (35 hours streamed); lithium-ion Apple3900 mAh (typical); rated minimum 3785 mAh

The typical value is the average from third-party lab tests; the rated value is the minimum capacity across battery samples.

Samsung
Wired chargingAbout 50% in 20 minutes with a 40 W or higher USB-C adapter

No adapter in the box; only a 1 m USB-C charge cable.

Apple		—
Wireless chargingUp to 25 W with MagSafe and Qi2

Apple quotes about 50% in 30 minutes with a 30 W or higher adapter and MagSafe Charger.

Apple		—
USB-CUSB 3 (up to 10 Gb/s), DisplayPort, charging

10 Gb/s needs a compatible USB 3 cable; the included cable does not guarantee that speed.

Apple		—
WirelessWi-Fi 7 (2×2 MIMO), Bluetooth 6, Thread, second-generation Ultra Wideband, NFC; Apple N1 wireless chip

Ultra Wideband availability varies by region.

Apple		—
Cellular and SIM5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave), Gigabit LTE; dual eSIM only, no physical SIM Apple—
Satellite and safetyEmergency SOS, Roadside Assistance, Messages and Find My via satellite; Crash Detection

Availability of satellite features varies by country.

Apple		—
Buttons and sensorsAction button, Camera Control; Face ID, LiDAR, barometer, dual ambient light sensors

Camera Control opens the camera and changes settings such as zoom and exposure with slide and light-press gestures.

Apple		—
Size and weight163.4 × 78.0 × 8.75 mm; 233 g Apple70.9 × 146.3 × 7.6 mm; 168 g Samsung
Operating systemiOS 26 AppleAndroid 13 with One UI 5.1 at launch

Samsung promised four Android OS upgrades and five years of security updates for the S23 series; timing varies by model and market.

Samsung
In the boxiPhone, 1 m USB-C charge cable, documentation Apple—
Cover glass—Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2

According to Samsung, the S23 series is the first S series to use Victus 2 glass.

Samsung
Processor—Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy

Samsung introduced this version as a Snapdragon optimised for Galaxy and exclusive to the S23 series at launch.

Samsung
Memory and storage—8 GB RAM; 128 GB or 256 GB

Usable space is lower because of preloaded software.

Samsung
Rear cameras—50 MP Wide (F1.8, 85°), 12 MP Ultra Wide (F2.2, 120°), 10 MP Telephoto (3x optical, F2.4, 36°)

The telephoto gives 3x optical zoom; zoom beyond that is digital.

Samsung
Charging—Wired: about 50% in around 30 minutes with a 25 W adapter and 3 A USB‑C cable; Fast Wireless Charging 2.0; Wireless PowerShare

The adapter is sold separately. Wired charging is compatible with QC2.0 and AFC. PowerShare needs the battery above 30% to charge another device.

Samsung
Connectivity—5G, LTE, Wi‑Fi 6E, Wi‑Fi Direct, Bluetooth 5.3

Wi‑Fi 6E needs a router with 6 GHz support; availability varies by market and provider.

Samsung
Security—Samsung Knox and Knox Vault Samsung